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Nottingham Forest have sacked Nuno Espírito Santo and appointed Ange Postecoglou as their new head coach. The club moved quickly. News of Nuno’s exit landed first, then within hours Forest confirmed Postecoglou on a deal reported as two years, with some outlets saying it runs to 2027. The timing is stark, only three league games into the new season, and the decision is clearly tied to a breakdown in trust between Nuno and owner Evangelos Marinakis.
We have seen Forest act decisively before. This time the rupture seems to have been more about relationships than results. Nuno had earned goodwill by steering Forest to their best finish in decades and into Europe, but the relationship with the hierarchy deteriorated and, once that happens at Forest, the end tends to arrive fast.
Postecoglou’s return to Premier League management comes only three months after leaving Tottenham. That departure followed a strange season in North London where a glorious Europa League win sat next to a grim league campaign. Tottenham lifted a European trophy for the first time since the 1980s, then removed the manager two weeks later after their worst Premier League finish. The contradiction powered an endless debate about process, results, and patience. Forest have decided that the upside in Postecoglou’s approach is worth the turbulence.
The appointment at a glance
I like to start with the essentials, because the noise is already rising.
| Item | Detail |
| New head coach | Ange Postecoglou |
| Club decision on previous coach | Nuno Espírito Santo sacked after relationship breakdown with ownership |
| Contract length | Reported two-year deal, with some reporting through June 2027 |
| Announcement timing | Appointment confirmed hours after Nuno’s exit |
| First match expected | Arsenal away, based on current schedule reporting |
| Forest’s current league start | Four points from three matches |
How we got here
Forest did not sack a struggling coach in the traditional sense. They dismissed a coach who had reintroduced competence and even momentum last season, then fell out with his bosses. Reports describe trust eroding between Nuno and Marinakis, influenced by disagreements over recruitment and structure. One poor home defeat before the international break did not help, but it reads as a catalyst more than a cause. The hierarchy chose a clean break and then moved for Postecoglou with unusual speed.
The speed matters. I have written often about how owners handle power. Forest’s ownership has a history of moving fast once a decision is made. If a manager is going, a replacement usually follows immediately. That reduces chaos for the squad and keeps the season on track. It also tells you the club had been thinking about alternatives already.
Postecoglou in brief, Tottenham chapter included
Postecoglou is not a mystery hire. He has a track record of arriving, installing a bold attacking structure, and demanding bravery on the ball. His first Spurs season brought a top-five finish. His second produced a Europa League title in Bilbao against Manchester United, followed by a dramatic fall in the league and a June dismissal. Those two truths sit side by side. They also explain why Forest see upside. If you believe his attacking game can land without the defensive unraveling that hit Spurs, you chase that ceiling.
Postecoglou’s teams defend from the front, push full-backs high, and accept risk. That is not the same as being naïve. It is a calculated trade that works when the distances between lines are coached well and when the defenders are comfortable on the ball. ESPN’s early analysis today framed the question bluntly: can Forest’s current squad handle the high line and meet the passing demands that come with it. That is the first test at the City Ground.
What Forest are buying
Let me be concrete. Forest are buying a method and a personality that tend to shift clubs up a gear. The method is aggressive positional play, quick circulation in the first phase, and a commitment to front-foot pressing. The personality is direct. Players know where they stand. Supporters usually connect with the courage of it. The risks are equally clear. If your centre-backs cannot defend space, if your goalkeeper is limited with his feet, or if your wingers do not work backwards with conviction, the system frays.
I do not say that to pour cold water on day one optimism. I say it because managers are not magicians. They are pattern-makers. Postecoglou’s patterns can be thrilling. They also need the right profiles.
The Nuno context, without rewriting history
Nuno took Forest out of a survival mindset and into European football. That leap does not happen by accident. It came with a disciplined mid-block, a bias toward transition, and a lot of pragmatic choices that suited the group in front of him. The fallout with ownership does not erase the work. It just explains the timing. Reuters’ reporting is clear on the root cause. Trust broke down, and once that happens, results become a secondary detail.
Key differences in approach
| Tactical phase | Nuno Espírito Santo | Ange Postecoglou |
| Out of possession | Mid to low block. Compact lines. Wingers inside the shape. | High line. Press from the front. Back four squeezed to halfway when possible. |
| In possession (build) | Direct outlets, quicker vertical passes, full-backs conservative depending on opponent. | Patient first phase, centre-backs and goalkeeper circulate until a lane opens. Full-backs step inside or high. |
| Chance creation | Overloads wide to cross or spring the break. | Rotations between 8s and wingers to create cut-backs. Volume of shots prized. |
| Risk tolerance | Protects rest defense. | Accepts risk to sustain pressure. |
The Spurs backdrop that will follow him to Nottingham
Postecoglou’s Europa League win is not just a line in a CV. It is a picture of a coach who can manage a long continental run and design solutions under pressure. It also came during a season where Spurs conceded control in the league and slipped to a historically poor finish. Those two realities are why reactions to his Forest appointment are split along familiar lines. One side believes the trophy proves he can build a winning culture. The other points to the league table. Both are true. The question is which lesson Forest lean into as they make early judgments.
What the record says
| Season | Club | League finish | Cup highlights |
| 2023–24 | Tottenham | 5th in Premier League | European qualification returned |
| 2024–25 | Tottenham | 17th in Premier League | Europa League winners vs Manchester United |
Forest’s immediate to-do list under Ange
- Reset the build-up.
Forest’s centre-backs and goalkeeper will be asked to start more moves. Training ground time will prioritise angles, passing bravery, and the first ten yards after a turnover. That is non-negotiable in his football. - Choose the defensive height that suits the group.
At Spurs the line went high and stayed there. In Nottingham he may tweak the height to protect legs and manage the space behind. Adaptation is still adaptation even when the principles stay the same. - Rebalance winger roles.
Wingers under Postecoglou have to press as hard as they dribble. If the options are short in that department, expect him to push for minutes from players who accept that workload. - Re-establish confidence.
This may sound soft, but it is real. The squad has lived through a jarring week. Managers who arrive with clear, energetic messages often buy themselves a run of honest performances. Postecoglou is good at simple, direct communication, and that matters in a transition like this. - Plan for Europe without new signings.
The window is shut. He inherits what Nuno built, then tries to carry that into group-stage football. Forest have not had to juggle league and Europe for a generation. There will be some learning in public.
Timeline of a 48-hour swing
| Time and date | Event |
| Mon 8 Sep, evening | Reports break that Forest have dismissed Nuno after a breakdown in relations with owner Evangelos Marinakis. |
| Tue 9 Sep, morning | Postecoglou arrives to finalise terms at the City Ground. |
| Tue 9 Sep, early afternoon | Forest confirm Postecoglou as head coach on a two-year deal, with several outlets reporting documents that run to 2027. |
| Next up | Arsenal away is set to be his first match in charge. |
What success looks like, realistically
Short term, success is coherence. The press triggers look clear. The full-backs know whether to step inside or hold width. The midfield eight who receives on the half-turn does not look surprised when the pass arrives. If those pictures settle quickly, Forest become hard to play against, even before January offers a chance to fine-tune the squad.
Medium term, success is balancing Europe with the league without losing defensive control. At Spurs the balance went missing. That cannot repeat here, not in a team that climbed by being stubborn and tough to score against. Postecoglou will know that league stability buys him the room to build the more expansive version later. This is where his staff choices matter, along with sports science and rotation.
Longer term, success is measurable. A top-half finish, progress in Europe that shows learning rather than naivety, and a clear identity supporters recognise from the first five minutes of a match. Ambition can grow from there.
The human bit
Nuno leaves having returned pride to a club that had been living in anxiety. He also leaves with the uncomfortable experience of a relationship breaking down in public. That will sting. Postecoglou walks in with a visible appetite to prove that Bilbao was not a one-off and that his football can live in a Premier League club that embraces it. He talks straight. He coaches loudly. Forest can use both.
There is also the owner. Marinakis is decisive and emotional, and that can be either a tailwind or a storm. When a manager’s identity aligns with ownership’s appetite for front-foot football, the relationship can sing. When it does not, tension accumulates. Forest are betting on the former.
What I will be watching in match one
- The height of the line. If the centre-backs hold a few metres deeper than Spurs did, that tells me pragmatism has the early vote.
- Full-back behaviour. Infield underlaps or classic width. This shapes how the eights receive.
- Press timing. Do wide forwards jump on the first pass into midfield or wait for the trap near the touchline.
- The goalkeeper’s distribution. This is usually the giveaway for how brave a team intends to be.
Arsenal is not a gentle opener. It is a diagnostic.
The bottom line today
Forest have chosen volatility with upside over stability with unspoken tension. They did it quickly, which is often kinder to the dressing room than a drawn-out debate. Postecoglou brings a clear idea and a public track record that mixes joy with jeopardy. If he gets the balance right, Forest will feel transformed by Christmas. If he does not, we will be talking about January reinforcements and defensive distances.
For now, the appointment is real, the task is large, and the experiment begins on schedule in North London. The Premier League rarely pauses to let a story breathe. This one will not be any different.